Hartal in Kollam panchayat over murder of CPIM worker after altercation

The death of a 70-year-old person by his acquaintance in Kollam on Saturday evening has suddenly acquired a political tone as the victim was a CPIM member and the accused a Congress activist.

The CPIM called a hartal in Chithira panchayat on Sunday. AM Basheer of Chithara in Kollam district was a CPIM branch committee member and earned a living selling tapioca. Kadakkal police said there was an altercation between Basheer, who was on his way home after selling tapioca, and Shahjahan, a Congress activist, on Saturday.

Police said Shahjahan was provoked when Basheer called him by his nickname. Later around 2 pm, Shajahan went to Basheer's place and attacked him with a knife. Basheer's wife and a woman tried to intervene but they too were attacked. Basheer was shifted to the taluk hospital in Kadakkal where he was declared brought-dead.

Shajahan was taken into custody late on Saturday.

Basheer's brother Salahudheen claimed that political vengeance was behind the murder and CPIM state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan in a Facebook post asserted this. He said the Congress had warned of retaliation to the murder of two Youth Congress workers in Kasaragod recently.